home-cooking

10 Surprising Uses for Gelatin in the Kitchen and the Home

Gelatin is one of those slept-on miracle ingredients that deserve a lot more credit than what we normally give it. Many even use it as a supplement for its health properties. It's a great source of protein and it supports hair, skin, and nail growth, it improves digestion, and may even help with cellulite.

It's one of the secrets to bone broth, but not only is it great for eating, it's got many wonderful uses in the home. Check out our top ten uses for gelatin below.

4. Homemade Ice Cream

Anyone who has made homemade ice cream knows that feeling when the frozen treat becomes too hard to get out of the container. It's a common issue to home chefs who don't know the secrets of gelatin.

A little bit of gelatin dissolved in water add to the mix before churning will result in an ice cream or sorbet that stays as soft and fresh feeling as store bought ice cream, or in this case, Dairy Queen's iconic soft serve.

6. DIY Pore Strips

DIY Bioré strips took the internet by storm, and for good reason. With a few simple ingredients, you can mix up your own face mask using gelatin to clean stubborn black heads and other impurities stuck in your pores.

8. Smoothies

Fortifying smoothies (or even coffee and teas) with gelatin is a great way to get a ton of benefits. First off, it does wonderful things for the texture, but also adds a boost of protein, making them more filling and satisfying.

Not to mention all the wonderful hair, skin, and nail benefits, too. Get the recipe here.

9. Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade marshmallows are one of those easy to make treats that amaze whoever you share them with. Especially when you make them with your own favorite flavors, like this Chocolate Irish Cream marshmallow recipe.

Elevate your s'mores or baked desserts with a quick batch of homemade marshmallows. Get the recipe here.

10. Deep Frying

Deep frying is a fun way to make dinner. It's kind of a production and feels like a special occasion. But what always stopped me from frying, even sporadically, was how wasteful it felt since I'd always throw away used oil, or let it sit until it went rancid. But not any more.